Shrimp Pasta

Alex and I ran the Peachtree Road Race for the second time this year, along with the Johnson's.  We are always motivated at the beginning of spring to run.  The temperature is great and we are looking to get in shape for the summer.  As you know, living in Georgia, spring does not last long.  Before you know it the humidity and high temperatures have set in.  Last year, this caused us to slack on our training.  I didn't have any lofty goals, just to finish!  

Lauren and I, almost at the finish line!

Jon, Lauren, Me, and Alex 2010

The Peachtree is a sentimental race for our family.  Alex's father passed away from a heart attack while running it in 1993.  He collapsed in front of Shepherd Spinal Center from sudden cardiac arrest.  Alex wears a bandanna each year that he leaves as a memorial to his dad in front of Shepherd.  

We were so proud of finishing our first 10K.

This year, I wanted to beat last years time.  If you knew my time you would realize that should not be too hard.   In an attempt to train better I had to turn to the dreaded treadmill.  It was just too hot to train outside.  

As much as I dreaded the treadmill initially, I became quite fond of it by the end.  I found that I could change up my pace which made the time fly by.  I also had plenty of other gym attendees to keep me distracted.  Plus, there is nothing like my amazing husband on the treadmill beside me to keep me going.  (I am just a "little" bit competitive.)

It definitely helped me improve my time by 9 minutes.

The crew again in 2011

Luckily, we were able to start in an earlier wave this year.  I hope as our times get better each year so will our  waves.  It made a huge difference to start earlier.  The sun was out of control by the end of the race.

All by myself this year

Sadly, Alex and I never get a picture together.  That should be our goal next year.

Our pre-race dinner was delicious!  It was super easy to make.  I found this one on Betsy's blog.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

·                     1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined

·                     2 teaspoons Emeril's essence seasoning

·                     1/2 box linguine (I think I used a whole box because I used regular spaghetti noodles, it is hard to find gluten free linguine noodles)

·                     2 tablespoons olive oil

·                     2 tablespoons butter

·                     3 cloves minced garlic

·                     1/2 cup dry white wine

·                     Juice of 1 lemon

·                     salt & pepper to taste

·                     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

·                     2 tablespoons chopped parsley

·                     shredded parmesan for topping

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, toss shrimp with Emeril's essence seasoning & set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil & cook pasta per instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet on medium heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter.  Melt butter. Add shrimp and cook for approx. 5 minutes, or until pink throughout.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add wine and lemon juice.  Cook for 2 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and pepper per taste.

When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Add pasta, cooking water, and crushed red pepper to shrimp.  Toss and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.

Toss with chopped parsley, top with shredded Parmesan. 

  

Shrimp Caesar Salad

Life has been super crazy in the Tutterrow house.  This week is no excpetion.  We have dinner plans every night...meaning you probably won't see a lot of blogging in the next week or so because I am not doing very much cooking.

I enjoyed lunch last week with my sorority sister, Rachel, and her sweet baby girl, Yardley.  We ate at one of my favorite places, Party Chic.  The weather was awesome so we sat outside.  Yardley loved taking it all in.

Yardley fell asleep in my arms...this didn't give me baby fever at all:)

Such a cute momma!

After lunch my awesome husband took me shopping for cowboy boots.  I have wanted boots since my freshman year in college, but thought it was just a phase that would pass.  Well, here I am 10 years later still wanting boots.  I decided I was the only person on the planet that did not own a pair when we went to Nashville.  The Zac Brown concert is coming up in a few weeks so I figured that would be a good debut of the new kicks!

I decided to wear them around the house after my run the other day...just breaking them in:)  Ignore my pale, pale legs!

PS-who knew cowboy boots were so comfortable.  I guess those are lessons you don't learn growing up in the city.

This is a special week for many reasons.  First it is Holy Week, the week before Easter.  Easter is such an important event that we celebrate as Christians.  We care celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the price for our sins, allowing us to have eternal life through Him.  Second, it is our anniversary week!  Friday, I will have been married to the love of my life for 5 YEARS!  It has flown by.  It has been so awesome to see how much we have both grown in the past 5 years.  God placed me with the perfect person and I feel so blessed!

You may remember my original post on making your own caesar dressing.  This one is much easier and a little more mild if you are not crazy about the anchovy flavor.

To get a hard boiled egg:  place egg(s) in a pot and fill with water until eggs are covered with ~1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil.  Once water is boiling, cover pot, and remove from heat for 12 minutes.

I think this shrimp marinade would be good on chicken too.  Bake it then cut it into bite size pieces.

Enjoy!

"Give me your shrimp or else!"

"I am sitting so well, please feed me!"

Shrimp Caesar Salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed  (I used jumbo because that was in the freezer)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest, plus 2 tbsp. lemon juice (approximately 2 lemons will get you both of these)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 hard boiled egg yolk, mashed
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 2 large hearts of romaine lettuce
• Wooden or metal skewers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, half the garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp. oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Thread shrimp onto wooden or metal skewers.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and transfer skewers to sheet and bake until shrimp is opaque throughout ~7 minutes. 

While shrimp is cooking, combine in a large bowl: remaining garlic, lemon juice, 2 tbsp. oil, egg yolk, and mustard; season with salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined; stir in parmesan cheese.  Add romaine and toss to coat.  Sprinkle salad with more parmesan and serve with shrimp skewers.  

Hoisin Shrimp and Vegetable Fried Rice

 Yummy Hoisin Shrimp

Veggie Fried Rice

Where did the weekend go?  I didn't even have time to sit down and read some of my favorite blogs, let alone write one!

This is a two for one blog with a main dish and side.  The main dish was ridiculously easy so it hardly deserved a posting of its own.

Friday night we went to my in-laws house to have dinner.  Ashley my sister in law was in town for the end of the week.  We had the yummy fish tacos that I made about a month ago.  Susan did a much better job with the beans. We realized the trick was not draining and rising them like usual.

Saturday, I had lunch at Cans with two of my high school small group girls, Abby and Amanda.  They are amazing girls and I just love spending time with them.  Then I was off to Soda Salon to get my hair cut.

Saturday night we had family over because we just couldn't get enough of them on Friday!  We started the night by playing cornhole.  Nothing like a little fun competition.

Dinner was super easy to prep.  I got the shrimp on the skewers and brushed them down with Hoisin sauce.  Alex cut up the veggies for the stir fry. We cooked the rice before cornhole to allow it to cool.  Lastly, I prepped the roasted kale on a baking sheet and stuck it back in the fridge.

I loved the rice because you can modify it to you liking with any veggies you might have leftover from the week.  I might actually make this one more time, later in the week, with the addition of chicken.

If you like condiments then heat some of the hoisin sauce to serve on the side for dipping.

Hoisin Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of peeled and deveined shrimp
• Hoisin sauce (found on the ethnic aisle)
• Wooden skewers

Directions:

Heat broiler.

Place shrimp on wooden skewers.  Place skewers on a broiler proof pan.  Brush with hoisin sauce.  Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side.  

Vegetable Fried Rice

Source: adapted from www.showmethecurry.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup jasmine rice (I am sure any long grain rice would work)
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 egg well beaten
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Soy sauce and thai chili sauce to taste (Yum!)

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions (typically involving rinsing 2-3 times) in vegetable broth.  Allow time to cool.  

In a wok, or large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add carrots and onion.  Cook until onion is transparent.  Move veggies to side of pan and add egg.  Scramble until egg is cooked.  Mix the egg with the veggies.  Continue to cook the veggies until they are soft.  Add rice to pan.  Mix in soy sauce and vinegar.  Continue to cook until rice is heated.  

Serve, adding soy sauce and thai chili sauce to your liking.  

You can add other veggies or even meat to this dish.  Make it your own!

Shrimp de Gallo

What a weekend!  Alex and I were gone from Friday night through Sunday morning at a weekend event called myLIFE.  We both lead a small group, mine 9th grade girls and his 9th grade boys.  With InsideOut there are three main events outside of our typical Sunday routine.  The first is The Walk held at the beach for 5 days during the summer.  Next, is Vertical Reality weekend held up in Jasper at Sharptop Cove in the fall.  Last, myLIFE held locally for a weekend.  All four campuses came together.  This meant 1,300 high school students in one place!  AHHH!

I am blessed to have about 22 girls that I lead.  Only 12 were able to make it for this amazing weekend.  They are great girls who really have a desire to grow in their relationship with Christ.  The theme of the weekend was to help them spend time deciding who they want to be and to realize who do they currently model their life after. Is it the pretty girl in math who seems to have it all, the sporty girl who plays volleyball and looks like a pro, is it the girl who can sing and might be the next American Idol?  By the end of the weekend they realized they have the most perfect model ever right at their finger tips, Jesus.  They discovered ways to learn more about Him and how to change their lives to live like He did.

This was the perfect weekend for these girls.  I am sure you remember what it was like to be in 9th grade and feel so lost and confused.  To find who you are at this age is a blessing.  I know some adults who are still struggling with this concept.

I was running late on Friday because I had to finish up at work.  My girls were told to hang out in the room we do small group time in at the church.  When I got there I found them being about as mischievous as 9th grade girls get...playing in an abandoned Target grocery cart.  We still have no idea why it was in our room or where it came from!  (Well, it obviously came from Target, but how did it get to North Point!).

What else would 9th grade girls do while waiting for the first session but play with each other's hair?  Get in line and let's start braiding!

The entire group!  What a beautiful group of girls!

Alex and I were more than a little exhausted when we got home Sunday morning, so when Susan (my mother-in-law) invited us over to watch the Super Bowl and eat chili we jumped at the offer.  I ran out to the grocery store after we got home to grab the ingredients for an appetizer to bring.  I knew once I hit the couch I wouldn't be able to move until it was time for dinner.

This dip was easy to throw together and healthy too.  I figured there would be enough of your typical super bowl food.  I was disappointed that Trader Joe's didn't have any ripe avocados.  I think it would have been a great addition.  The taste was good without.  

Shrimpo de Gallo

Source:  Pioneer Woman's Blog

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of cooked shrimp (tails removed), chopped
• 1/2 whole red onion, diced finely
• 1/2 cup green or black olives, chopped (I used green because I don't really care for black)
• 2 whole tomatoes, diced
• 2 whole fresh jalapeño peppers, minced
• 2 whole avocados, chopped
• 2 whole limes, juiced
• kosher salt to taste
• 2 cups cilantro, chopped (I don't think I used quite this much, just eyeball it)

Directions:

Combine shrimp, red onion, olives, tomatoes, and jalapeños in a large bowl.  Add lime juice and salt to taste. Add cilantro.  Stir gently with a spoon, taste to determine if you need more lime or salt.  (I also added about 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder to taste).  Chill before serving.  Add avocado right before you serve so it does not turn brown.    Serve with tortilla chips.  

Penne Alla Betsy

Welcome to my first blog posting!  I have been holding out on getting a good picture of one of my dishes.  I finally realized if that is what I am waiting for then I will never post my first dish.

We have made this recipe a few times now and absolutely love it.  I can't take much credit for cooking it this time around.  I came home late from work earlier this week to find my amazing husband put it all together along with a glass of red wine!  I am one lucky girl.

This dish is super easy.  It comes from one of my favorite cookbooks the Pioneer Woman Cooks.  I frequently turn to her website and cookbook for recipe ideas.

Alex forgot to put in the white wine and it still tasted okay, but I definitely think it adds a nice flavor.  I prefer to use fresh herbs, but this was the only thing that called for fresh basil this week so I used dry instead.  Just make sure to look up the conversion so you do not use too much!

I am gluten free so I used a pasta that does not contain any wheat flour.  This time we used a new brand of gluten free pasta and unfortunately Alex threw away the bag before I had a chance to see the name.  It was delicious.  You would not have known the difference.  There are rice based gluten free pastas that are not my favorite, but will do if that is all you have.  My go to brand is Quinoa.  It is in a teal box.  I have found it at Kroger and Whole Foods.  My husband loves it and says it tastes like "normal" pasta.

Hope you enjoy!

Penne Alla Betsy
From:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Serves:  4-6

1 pound penne pasta
1 pound of large shrimp (I used jumbo because that is what we had in the freezer)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (we always throw in a little extra because we love garlic)
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
one 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (we omitted this too because we did not have any fresh on hand)
6 basil leaves, cut
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions (al dente).  Add a little salt to the water while bringing to a boil.  Drain pasta and set aside.

Peel and devein shrimp if they are not already.  Rinse under cold water.

In a small skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  When the pan is hot add the shrimp.  Stir and cook on both sides until it is just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.  Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the garlic and onion.  Stir occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.  Pour wine into the pan.  Stir and allow to evaporate, about 45 seconds.    Next pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low.  Pour in the cream and stir well to combine.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

Add the shrimp to the sauce and stir gently.  Next add the basil and parsley and stir.  Finally, add the pasta and combine.

If the sauce is too thick you can thin it with a little bit of milk.

Great with a salad, bread, or by itself.